What did you do to your bike today?

[BA80]

I use the Blue on the two large Phillips screws for the clutch adjuster cover too
.

[3Phase]

Ian,

Is there any possibility that the clutch bolts that you have are replacements from the local Ace Hardware/Yamaha supply depot and they were slightly -- a thread or two -- shorter than the OEM bolts?

I lost one of the adorable little clutch cover 'beasts' at a rally one year and it seemed to take forever to find a couple of shiny new ones from Mamaha. What? Replace just one screw and have a shiny new chrome screw along with a wallowed out rusty screw too? The idea! <folds arms on chest><laughing>

98603-06018-00 SCREW, OVAL HEAD $0.00 $0.00 2 ea. NOT AVAILABLE

I just don't spend that much time taking off the clutch adjuster plate once the clutch is set and I don't want to lose the ones I have now, then have to go hunting. The Blue stuff is only medium-strength and it breaks free when you tap (okay -- WALLOP!) the screwdriver with a hammer. Red would not be any fun at all.

.

[IanDMacDonald]

Hey Scott- Nope, but I can tell you that you're probs in the minority with having no issue with those springs, as I just did this on my 750 yesterday, and very same thing. The Barnett's are quite a bit longer & stiifer (don't laugh) than the worn-out OEM springs, so it makes sense that the star plate going back in is a pain.

And, I just looked down on my clutch cover and saw one of those screws coming out. Glad I caught it.

[crazy steve]

Just remember what Burt Munroe found out. To much weight behind the rear wheel induces wobble.
So stow the beer in the side bags.
And, come to think of it, to much beer induces wobble also.
CZ

If you have wobble before you get on the bike, it's probably not a good idea to get on....

[motoman]

Mis-behavior of the Bentley

......the past few years certainly may not be deserving of it, but the Superstore has a couple Conti-Go's enroute to the mancave to be installed. Likely will get an 8oz. bottle of Ride-On in each for balance and flat protection.
It definitely doesn't deserve the latter, but I do.

[3Phase]

New shoes for "The Bentley", Brant? Get to try out the giant zip-tie tire changing trick!

Today I did nothing to my bike except smile at it!

I went for a 75 mile run yesterday and had a blast with the new clutch springs. Even with the '850 final drive the front tire came off the ground when I shifted 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd.

Sacré bleu!

.

[BA80]

I went for a 75 mile run yesterday and had a blast with the new clutch springs. Even with the '850 final drive the front tire came off the ground when I shifted 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd.

Sacré bleu!

.

YEP

[rdmcguy]

odds and ends

I mounted a bull sound horn on ËL TORO,
I had to make a plate for the front side of the battery box to mount it to,
It was the only place I could mount it (it's kind of LARGE) I didn't want to use the original cable system so I used a spare clutch lever and fabbed a bicycle cable to operate it,Also had to preload the lever on the horn in order for it to actuate correctly.

On to my primary ride .....I bought a parts bike a while back that had progressive shocks on it but po had not use bushings on the shocks
so they could potentially wiggle around... I had a spare set of bushings from a previous set and thought..."i'll just drill them out" yeah right!!
I've never seen a hardened half inch bit glow cherry red before.
Ordered a set from progressive and slid the shocks right on.

Time to ride
Joe

[motoman]

New shoes for "The Bentley", Brant? Get to try out the giant zip-tie tire changing trick!

Today I did nothing to my bike except smile at it!

I went for a 75 mile run yesterday and had a blast with the new clutch springs. Even with the '850 final drive the front tire came off the ground when I shifted 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd.

Sacré bleu!

.

Not happenin' Scott.........for the 30 some bucks to mount both them and add the RideOn, gonna just pull them and let Dan do them at his shop when I get them. MotorcycleSuperstore said they ougha' show up here bout next Friday. Wished KeelBrothers in Atlanta hadn't closed their doors. Them two ole' boys had two BT23's for my STeed at my door in two days last year! Lest I can 'drag my feet' before pulling the wheels off. As you can tell, gettin' tired of 'wrenchin'........must be the old age and treachery thing. Hey, I did ride it out to the vintage bike show in Palaisade today tho........a whoppin' 14mi. round trip.

[3Phase]

Brant, I totally understand.

RD, you used to have a hardened 1/2 inch drill bit, now it's a kinetic horn for dopey texting soccer moms!

Ahh! New clutch springs and better fueling! The clutch has been progressively slipping more and more after I got back from the XS SE rally. Yesterday was the first time I've been able to go out and really romp down on Columbo since I put the '80G voodoo carburetors back on (117.5/120 mains with '79 needles). It made just a leetle bit of difference in the top end, especially after running the stock XJ carbs.

GRIN INSTALLED!

.

[jetmechmarty]

Brant,

JakeWilson.com or RockyMountainATV.com is in your neighborhood. Last I checked, Motorcycle Superstore did not beat their price on the tire I was shopping. If they have what you need, seems like the quickest option.

[motoman]

Marty,

tried RMATV inititially the other day......and yesterday, but was on hold for some 30min. both times. Rocky Mountain didn't show they carried the ContiGo, even though they had several other Conti's, but thought I'd ask. Gettin' difficult for choices, with the major brands anyways as far as the 130/17. I've run bout everything out there over the decades with this bike, including admittedly Kenda and Shinko decades ago,(lesson learned). Decades ago, the Conti RB2/K112 made the bike the happiest, but offered in 100/19 and 130/16 ONLY now. If I had a Special, that would STILL be the tire choice for the XS11's.

As far as the Venturer, it doesn't see 'regular duty', so couldn't see puttin' pricey Metzlers on it.

Thanks for your suggestions though!

[TomB]

Welded up my Kerker collector box today and gave the whole thing a coat of heatproof paint.

Bit of a disaster on the Kerker, the heatproof paint..... isn't!!

And something has changed with welding the collector box up, I tried refitting the main stand and the exhaust is now in the way of the stand in the "up" position!! DOH!! so its now a paddock stand!

The bike runs great now though so every cloud has a silver lining.

[ViperRon]

Little screws

Had not reviewed this for a while but have a tip for those missing the little screws from the clutch cover. In the stainless steel section in Lowes I found a bag that has two and they fit well.

[MPittma100]

850 fd

Hi Scott,

What do you like and/or dislike about the 850 FD. What is the difference in cruise RPM compared to the standard FD? Does the bike still have enough power on the low end? Is there too much of a compromise with the higher ratio in the twisties - i.e. Tail of The Dragon?

Thanks, Mike

New shoes for "The Bentley", Brant? Get to try out the giant zip-tie tire changing trick!

Today I did nothing to my bike except smile at it!

I went for a 75 mile run yesterday and had a blast with the new clutch springs. Even with the '850 final drive the front tire came off the ground when I shifted 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd.

Sacré bleu!

.